- Nebraska college to head ag ed consortium
- Spreading the word about trade jobs in Texas
- 4-year degree in water resources management
- Maryland college program redesignated as cyber defense center
Nebraska college to head ag ed consortium
Nebraska’s Northeast Community College will head a national agriculture consortium for two-year colleges, serving as the lead institution and fiscal agent for the $9-million, four-year program.
The initiative is a cooperative agreement between the U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Natural Resources Conservation Service and the Community College Alliance for Agriculture Advancement (C2A3), which comprises nine public two-year colleges across eight states that began eight years ago.
Tracy Kruse, vice president of development and external affairs at Northeast and CSA3 executive director, said the partnership will help expand the progam across the country, with a goal to have at least 50 community and technical college members by the end of the four-year award period.
Spreading the word about trade jobs in Texas
Dallas College is partnering with Be Pro Be Proud to raise awareness about high-demand technical skill trade jobs in north Texas.
Be Pro Be Proud will reach out to area middle and high schools to promote career awareness and exploration through its mobile workshop, which contains virtual and augmented reality technical career simulators.
Texas is the eighth state to join Be Pro Be Proud, which initially started as an Arkansas State Chamber of Commerce initiative. North Texas is the first region in the state to pilot the mobile workforce campaign. Over the next three years, Be Proud Be Pro is projected to have around 300 tour dates across middle schools, high schools and community spaces like Dallas College campuses, bringing their mobile workshop to more than 45,000 North Texan visitors.
4-year degree in water resources management
California’s San Bernardino Valley College (SBVC) has received approval for a bachelor’s degree in water resources management, focusing on challenges related to water supply, quality and infrastructure.
The program’s approval comes at a crucial time for the water industry, which faces significant challenges due to an aging workforce and retirements. According to a recent SBVC regional labor market analysis, more than 30% of water industry employees in the college’s service area are expected to retire within the next 10 years. The new program will play a pivotal role in addressing the regional skills gap and providing trained professionals to fill these positions, according to the college.
SBVC aims to start enrolling students in the program by fall 2026.
Maryland college program redesignated as cyber defense center
The National Security Agency (NSA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) have redesignated Cecil College‘s cybersecurity degree program as a Center of Academic Excellence in Cyber Defense (CAE-CD).
The recognition will run through October 2029 and follows the college’s initial designation received in 2019.
“This achievement reaffirms our commitment to preparing our students for critical roles in safeguarding our nation’s digital infrastructure,” said Cecil College President Mary Way Bolt.
